Review: Queen of the Night proves she’s every woman at Suffolk spectacular

Shanice Smith as Whitney Houston. Picture: DAVID A LEE (Image: David A Lee)

Whitney Houston will forever be a tough act to follow, so I knew heading to the Ipswich Regent tonight that tribute act Shanice Smith had her work cut out for her.

There is no doubt that she’s a performer. She opened with Whitney’s So Emotional, which got the show off to an upbeat start. It wasn’t long before the audience was on their feet, dancing and singing along.

Equally, I had goosebumps during many of the ballads.

Tracks included Saving All My Love For You, Didn’t We Almost Have It All, One Moment in Time and, of course, Queen of the Night.

Shanice Smith as Whitney Houston. Picture: DAVID A LEE (Image: David A Lee)

But it was one of her more recent tracks, It’s Not Right, But It’s OK, that had almost the whole theatre on their feet.

Among her best sung songs tonight included I Have Nothing and I Wanna Dance With Somebody, but it was I Will Always Love You that stole the show for me, and gained Shanice a standing ovation.

There’s no denying that our Queen of the Night can sing and is extremely talented.

But is she as good as Whitney? If you’d asked me at the end of the first half I would have said the jury’s out. But by the end, she was fantastic.

Shanice Smith as Whitney Houston. Picture: DAVID A LEE (Image: David A Lee)

I asked my guests for the night for their three word reviews.

‘What a show,’ said one. ‘Full of energy,’ said another. ‘Not quite Whitney,’ said the last.

Mine? ‘She won’t disappoint.’